Library Clippings for the week of January 30, 2015

Library News

Evergreen library reopening Sundays (Everett/Mukilteo Tribune, Snohomish, 12/24/14)

Library faces looming budget cut (The North Coast News, Ocean Shores, 12/25/14)

Why buy when you can borrow?
I had a recent dentist appointment and as I sat in the waiting room, I read a novel on my e-reader. A woman sitting near me asked me how I could read on “that newfangled thing.” When she learned that I was a librarian, she was surprised. “Don’t these things take away from your business at the library?” “We are busier than ever,” I assured her. People are often surprised at how many borrowing options there are in the King County Library System. Visiting the ebook and downloads page at www.kcls.org/downloads/ shows the options between books, audio downloads, magazine downloads and video and music. Staff members are happy to help with your download questions. You can visit a library or call Ask KCLS staff at 425-462-9600. With your library card and an internet connection, you can borrow any number of titles and formats to suit your needs and interests. Some of the best things in life really are free. This is a synopsis of an article written by Darcy Brixey, teen services librarian with the Bellevue System. (Bellevue Reporter, Kent, 12/26/14)

Notes from Newcastle – Library has help when you need it (The Newcastle News, Issaquah, 1/1/15)

Buildings

Library Door Excavation
Excavation for a door to connect the Center with the Whitman County Library was finished Dec. 17. The project encountered unexpected difficulty in the plan to provide a link between the former Hamilton Drug building and the library building. Library Director Kristie Kirkpatrick told the city council Monday night the door will provide better access to the Center which at present is not staffed at most times during business hours. Among plans for the Center is relocation of the Chamber of Commerce office into the building to provide more hours of staffing during the day. (Whitman County Gazette, Colfax, 12/25/14)

Upper Skagit Library celebrates 10 years with expansion plans
The Upper Skagit Library District will mark its 10th anniversary in 2015 with a public open house from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, but staff and supporters also are celebrating progress on a decade-long goal of building a larger facility. Regional cement company CalPortland, which once owned much of the land where Concrete’s namesake cement plant operated, has offered to donate a 1.9-acre plot on Superior Avenue at Highway 20 to help the library expand. (Courier Times, Sedro Woolley, 1/6/15)

Letters & Editorials

Concerns about the library elevator project
Library patrons please read this. A few months ago there was a letter or article about Carnegie Library putting in an elevator from main floor to basement for handicapped patrons. How are these patrons going to get from outside to main floor. You directors had better make an outside ramp to get into the main floor. Ramps are not hard to build but there are rules to follow. I know I have helped build two ramps-one on a house and one on a public building. This letter to the editor was written by Bessie Allen of Washtucna. (Ritzville-Adams County Journal, Ritzville, 12/25/14)

Friends of the Point Roberts Library (All Point Bulletin, Point Roberts, 1/–/15)

People

Point Roberts couple leads fundraising effort for library (Bellingham Herald, Bellingham, 12/28/14)

Library district appoints interim directors
Following the departure in December of library director Jill Pannkuk, Central Skagit Rural Partial County Library District has turned to local experts to continue progress. The district appointed Joy Neal as interim library director and Aimee Hirschel as interim assistant library director on Dec. 23. (Courier Times, Sedro Woolley, 1/6/15)

Programs/Displays

Timberland Regional Library’s Grand New Year’s Tradition
The 18th annual Adult Winter Reading Contest brightens up the dark months. Booklovers can once again welcome the New Year with some healthy self-indulgence: reading books, audiobooks and more books – as many as possible – between January 1 and March 14. The Adult Winter Reading Contest (AWR) has been part of the Timberland Regional Library (TRL) winter programming since 1998. The idea, according to program coordinator Tim Mallory, is to entice busy adults to give themselves a break, relax, get comfortable and read just for the fun of it. (Pacific County Press, South Bend, 12/25/14)

SCLS streaming services
The Spokane County Library District has announced public availability of thousands of movies, television shows and albums. All are available on computers and mobile devices via hoopladigital.com. All you need is a library card. To get registered, or to find out more information, visit scld.org/whats-hoopla. (Valley News Herald, Spokane, 12/26/14)

Technology education online – State partnership with Microsoft reduces cost of computer training (Stanwood/Camano News, Stanwood, 12/30/14)

South Hill library pushes to enhance digital experience for patrons (The Herald, Puyallup, 12/31/14)

Big Read to promote community reading
The call to read will be strong this February as the Spokane County Library District kicks off the Big Read on Feb. 8. This community reading event aims to get everyone in Spokane County reading and engaging in one book. The selection this year is Jack London’s classic, “The Call of the Wild.” The official kick off for the Big Read is 6 p.m. Feb. 8 at CenterPlace Regional Event Center. The Big Read will run through the end of February. (The Current, Liberty Lake, 1/–/15)

PA Library offers three book clubs to public (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, 1/1/15)

Early literacy parties help parents teach kids to read in Spanish (North Lake News & Woodinville Weekly, Woodinville, 1/5/15)

Building the Lego way
Kids and parents came to Family Lego Play Day to work with thousands of plastic building blocks Saturday, Jan. 17, at the Sedro-Woolley Public Library in Sedro-Woolley. Jason Geary helped his daughter, Ophelia, 3, build a tower out of Duplo blocks. Chris Campbell, 19, helped his little brother, Eli, 4, build a coal mine and the Space Needle with the Legos. Cousins Bryar Hart, 6, and Harper Dickmon, 6, worked together to build a tower with Duplo blocks. “It’s awesome they have these because we run low on Legos at our house to share,” said Bryar’s mom, Ana Hart. The library had 10,000 Lego bricks on loan from the Timberland Regional Library and the Washington State Library for the occasion. (Courier-Times, Sedro-Woolley, 1/27/15)

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[This summary of library news represents a selection of current newspaper clippings about Washington libraries received from Washington newspapers. The summary is created by Leanna Hammond and Marilyn Lindholm of the Washington State Library, a Division of the Office of the Secretary of State. For further information about this summary or the clippings listed, contact Shirley Lewis at 360.570.5567 or [email protected].]

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